Kantola nu shaak, Gujarati style
If you have never tried this vegetable, then you will love this Gujarati version that is spicy, crunchy, creamy and sweet at the same time. And like many Gujarati recipes, it can be made vegan and it is gluten free!
Only if this vegetable wasn’t a seasonal one, it would make a regular appearance on our table! We look forward to the arrival of this vegetable not only because it is delicious but most often, we pair it with mangoes which are equally awaited through the year. Slightly bitter and crunchy kantola and a sweet mango makes a wonderful combination.
Kantola nu shaak is more like a stir fry as it is most often served with aamras or fajeto (Gujarati kadhi with mango pulp) which make up the liquid counterpart in the Gujarati thali. And what a classic Gujarati thali feast it makes; kantola nu shaak, pad vali rotli, dhokla and aamras or fajeto! It truly is a bite of deliciousness!! Even my 9-year-old enjoys this spread and takes more than one serving of this vegetable whenever I make it.
Padvali rotli means roti with layers. Traditionally, it is made with 2 layers but my version is with 3 layers. The top and bottom layer crisp up while the middle layer becomes almost translucent and soft with all the goodness from ghee! I made a reel showing its technique on my Facebook and Instagram page ending it with my son enjoying the roti with kantola nu shaak and aamras. Pure heaven!
Coming back to kantola (kankoda/kakrol) nu shaak, like so many of my recipes like rava na dhokla, satpadi rotli, bharela gunda, this recipe is an adaptation from what I have learnt from my mother. The unusual part of this recipe is the addition of milk towards the end of its cooking. Not only it makes the kantola taste less bitter but adds an underlying layer of creaminess to this shaak.
Enough said, let’s get to making this delicious kantola nu shaak.
You may like some of these other Gujarati recipes too:
Recipe Card
Kantola nu shaak, Gujarati style
Recipe Rating
AUTHOR
Hema B Kathrani
CUISINE
Gujarati
PREP TIME
30 minutes
COOK TIME
10 minutes
SERVINGS
Serves 2-3
Author: Hema B Kathrani | Cuisine: Gujarati | Category: Mains
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Servings: Serves 2-3
If you have never tried this vegetable, then you will love this Gujarati version that is spicy, crunchy, creamy and sweet at the same time. And like many Gujarati recipes, it can be made vegan and it is gluten free!
Ingredients
- 600 gm kantola
- ¼ cup raisins
- 20-25 cashews, split in half
- 2 tbsp ghee/oil
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¾ cup milk (or almond milk if vegan)
- 1 ¼ tsp dhania jeera powder
- 1 ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp salt
- Coriander to garnish
Method
- Prepare kantola:
- Wash the kantola and keep it aside to dry.
- Slice the kantola in rounds and sprinkle 1 ½ tbsp of salt over it.
- Mix it well and transfer it to a sieve/colander to drain out for at least 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, rinse the kantola so that the extra salt is washed off.
- Put it over the sieve/colander again to dry.
- Make the shaak:
- In a pan, add oil/ghee over medium heat.
- Fry the cashews until golden.
- Remove the cashews and keep it aside.
- In the same pan, add mustard seeds and let it crackle.
- Add hing and kantola.
- Cover and cook until half done.
- Add turmeric, dhania jeera, red chili powder and mix well.
- Place milk (almond milk if vegan) and sugar and mix well.
- Cover it with a lid and continue to cook until the milk almost dries out
- Adjust the seasoning and add salt only if necessary.
- Add the fried cashews and raisins and give a quick mix.
- Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or paratha.
Notes
- Adding generous amounts of salt to vegetables like bitter gourd, kantola helps to draw out its bitter juices. I like to mix the salt over the vegetables and then drain it over a colander/sieve for at least 30 minutes. That way, you won’t have to squeeze the bitter gourd/kantola and also the rounds will remain intact.
- Rehydrating the raisins by soaking them in hot water for 5 minutes before putting them in shaak makes them plump and juicy.
- I did a step-by-step video on my Facebook and Instagram page on making of this shaak. I have saved it under ‘Kantola’ in the highlights. You can also check ‘padvali rotli’ reel dated 6/6/2021 on the feed.
- To make it vegan, you could cook this shaak in oil and use almond milk instead of regular milk.
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